Tubular carton having automatically erectible diagonal partition



g- 5, 1953 s. E. STRUBLE 2,346,131

TUBULAR CARTON HAVING AUTOMATICALLY ERECTIBLE DIAGONAL PARTITION Filed Aug. 10. 1955 IN V EN TOR.

GZE/WV 5571 1/545 W AT-ronzurvs.

United States Patent TUBULAR CARTON HAVING AUTOMATICALLY ERECTIBLE DIAGONAL PARTITION Glenn E. Struble, Hamilton, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Diamond Gardner Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application August 10, 1955, Serial No. 527,595

3 Claims. (Cl. 229-27) My invention relates to paperboard cartons and more particularly to one-piece tubular cartons having one or more integral partitions which are automatically erectible upon the erection of the carton body.

While heretofore numerous types of partitioned carton structures have been proposed, including diagonally partitioned tubular cartons, I am unaware of any successful attempt to provide a one-piece tubular carton structure having an integrally formed diagonal partition which is automatically raised to position as the carton body is squared-up and likewise automatically lowered as the carton body is collapsed. It is, therefore, a principal object of my invention to provide a diagonally partitioned tubular carton of this character.

A further object of my invention is the provision of partitioned cartons formed from a one-piece blank which may be readily folded and glued employing folding and gluing equipment currently available in the box making industry.

Yet a further object of my invention is the provision of a tubular carton having a plurality of angularly disposed partitioning walls associated therewith, the arrangement of parts being such that the several walls may be provided with mating openings for the reception and retention of fragile or breakable objects, such as vials, adapted to be packaged in the carton.

These and other objects of my invention which will appear hereinafter or which will be apparent to the skilled worker in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by those constructions and arrangements of parts of which I shall now describe certain exemplary embodiments.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of a one-piece blank for forming a diagonally partitioned carton in accordance with my invention.

Figures 2 and 3 are plan views illustrating successive steps in the folding and gluing of the blank of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3 illustrating the assembled blank in partially expanded condition.

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 4 illustrating the assembled blank in erected condition.

Figure 6 is a plan view with parts broken away of the erected carton.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention incorporating a pair of angularly related partition elements.

Figure 8 is a plan view of the blank of Figure 7 in folded and glued position.

Figure 9 is a plan view with parts broken away of the blank of Figure 8 in erected condition.

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 1010'of Figure 9.

Referring first to Figure l of the drawings, I have therein illustrated a carton blank formed from paperboard and suitably cut and scored to provide body walls 1, 2, 3 and ice 4 in side-by-side articulation in the order named. While in the embodiment illustrated the side walls 1 and 3 are relatively wide, whereas the body walls 2 and 4 are relatively narrow, it will be understood that the relative dimensions of the walls are exemplary only and do not constitute a limitation upon the invention. In the embodiment illustrated the body wall 1 is provided at its ends with and flaps 5 and 6 which carry tuck-in flaps 7 and 8, respectively. The body walls 2 and 4 are provided with end closure flaps 9, 10 and 11, 12 of conventional character.

A partition forming extension 13 is articulated to the free side edge of body Wall 4. The extension is divided diagonally by a pair of spaced apart score lines 14 and 15 to define an inner triangular part 16, a diagonal partition part 17 and an outer triangular part 18. The size of the partition is such that the combined areas of the inner and outer partition parts is substantially equal to the area of the body wall 1, which is the body wall to which a portion of the extension will be secured. The perpendicular distance between the score lines 14 and 15, i. e. the height of the diagonal partition part, will be substantially equal to the width of either of the body walls 2 or 4.

The blank is tubed by first infolding the extension 13 along its line of articulation to the body wall 4, thereby bringing the parts of the blank to the position illustrated in Figure 2, wherein it will be seen that the extension overlies both the body walls 3 and 4 of the carton blank. Thereafter, a triangular area of adhesive 19 is applied to the inner surface of body wall 1 in the position illustrated, whereupon the blank is folded along the line of articulation between body walls 2 and 3, thereby bringing the parts to the position illustrated in Figure 3 in which position the triangular area of adhesive 19 contacts the inner triangular part 16 of the extension 13. Care must be taken to avoid the adhesive attachment of the diagonal partition part 17 and the outer triangular part 18 to the overlying body wall 1. While I have indicated the adhesive area 19 as being applied to the body wall 1, it Will be evident that it could be applied to the triangular portion 16 if so desired.

The adhesive securement of the inner triangular part 16 to the body wall 1 serves to tube the carton blank; and the condition of the parts illustrated in Figure 3 is the knocked-down 'or flat-folded condition of the structure in which it may be shipped to the user. In the hands of the user the structure may be erected simply by pressing inwardly against the opposite side edges of the fiat-folded tube thereby erecting the body walls with respect to each other and at the same time causing the partition 13 to concurrently fold in opposite directions along the score lines 14 and 15, the free side edge of the outer triangular part 18 sliding axially inwardly along the corner edge of the carton between the body walls 2 and 3. In this manner the erection of the body walls relative to each other automatically enforces the erection of the diagonal partition parts 17 in the manner illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings. Upon erection of the structure, the contents may be inserted therein from the ends of the carton and the closure flaps and end Walls infolded and secured in place by means of the tuck-in flaps 7 and 8.

Referring now to Figure 7 of the drawings, I have therein illustrated a modified form of carton in which the interior is divided by an oppositely directed pair of angularly related partition parts. For convenience in this description, like parts have been given like reference numerals insofar as the body walls and end closure parts of the carton are concerned. In this instance, however, the extension 20 articulated to the free side edge of the body Wall 4 is divided into a pair of oppositely directed partition parts 21 and 22 by means of the spaced apart 2,846,131 a l A pairs of score lines 23, 24 and 25, 26, the score lines additionally serving to define an intermediate triangular portion 27 and outlying triangular portions 28 and 29. As in the case of the embodiment of Figure 1, the combined area of the triangular portions 27, 28 and 29 is equal to the area of the body Wall 1 and the width of the partition parts 21 and 22 is substantially equal to the height of either of the walls 2 or 4.

In assembling the blank just described, the extension 20 will be first infolded along its line of articulation to body wall 4, whereupon the opposite end of the blank will be infolded along the line of articulation between body Walls 2 and 3, with the adhesive attachment of the intermediate triangular portion 27 to the overlying surface of the body wall 1, as by means of the triangular adhesive area 30. With the parts so arranged and secured, inwardly directed pressure against the opposite side edges of the flat-folded blank will cause the body walls to erect themselves and at the same time the partitions 21 and 22 will be automatically erected as the extension folds along the pairs of score lines 23, 24 and 25, 26, until the parts assume the position illustrated in Figure 6.

Where pairs of partition parts are employed, coacting openings, such as the openings 31, 32 and 33, 34 may be provided in the partition parts 21 and 22, the corresponding openings in the parts coacting to receive a vial or other similar object fitted therein.

Modifications may, of course, be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. Having, however, described my invention in several exemplary embodiments, what I desire to secure and protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A one-piece tubular carton having an integral automatically erectible diagonally disposed internal partition, said carton comprising a tubular body having a first, second, third and fourth body walls in articulation in the order named, and a partition structure articulated to the free side edge of said fourth body wall for dividing said tubular body interiorly into a plurality of triangular compartments, said partition structure consisting of a partition panel having a length greater than the length of said carton body walls and divided by at least one pair of spaced apart score lines into a plurality of triangular partition parts separated from each other by at least one partition wall part defined by the area lying between said pair of spaced apart score lines, said plurality of triangular partition parts having a combined area substantially equal to the area of said first carton body wall, and said partition wall part having a width substantially equal to the width of said second carton body wall, a pair of said triangular partition parts each having a free edge thereof defined by an opposite edge of said partition panel, and one of said triangular partition parts having an edge thereof defined by the line of articulation between said fourth body wall and said partition panel, said carton body being tubed with said last named triangular partition part in adhesive engagement with said first carton body wall, said partition structure being movable from a collapsed position in which at least one of the free edges of said pair of triangular partition parts extends beyond the ends of said carton body walls to a second position in which the free edges of both of said pair of triangular partition parts coincide with the end edges of said carton body walls.

2. A one-piece collapsible tubular carton having an integral automatically erectible diagonally disposed internal partition, said carton comprising a tubular body having a first, second, third and fourth body walls in articulation in the order named, a partition structure articulated to the free side edge of said fourth body wall for dividing said tubular body interiorly into a pair of triangular compartments, said partition structure consisting of a partition panel having a length greater than the length of said carton body walls and divided by a a pair of spaced apart diagonal score lines into inner and outer triangular parts separated by a diagonally disposed partition wall part defined by the area between said pair of spaced apart score lines, said inner and outer triangular partition parts having a combined area substantially equal to the area of said first body wall and said partition wall part having a width substantially equal to the width of said second body wall, said inner and outer triangular partition parts each having a free edge defined by an opposite edge of said partition panel, said carton being tubed with said inner triangular partition apart adhesively secured to said first body wall and with said partition wall part and said outer triangular partition part free from attachment to said carton body walls, said partition panel being movable from a collapsed position in which the free edge of said outer triangular partition part extends beyond the end edges of said carton body walls to an erected position in which said last named edge coincides with the end edges of said carton body walls to an erected position in which said last named edge coincides with the end edges of said carton body walls and in which said partition wall part extends between said first and third body walls at substantially right angles thereto.

3. A one-piece collapsible tubular carton having an integral automatically erectible internal partition, said carton comprising a tubular body having a first, second, third and fourth body walls in articulation in the order named and a partition structure articulated to the free side edge of said fourth body wall for dividing said tubular body interiorly by means of a pair of angularly related partition wall parts, said partition structure consisting of a partition panel having a length greater than the length of said carton body walls and divided by pairs of spaced apart score lines into an intermediate and an outer pair of triangular partition parts separated from each other by a pair of angularly related partition wall parts defined by the areas between said pairs of spaced apart score lines, said intermediate and outer triangular partition parts having a combined area substantially equal to the area of said first carton body wall, said partition wall parts each having a Width substantially equal to the Width of said second carton body wall, said outer triangular partition parts each having a free edge defined by an opposite edges of said partition panel, said carton being tubed with said intermediate triangular partition part adhesively secured to said first body wall with said outer triangular partition parts and said partition wall parts free from attachment to said carton body walls, said partition panel being movable from a collapsed position in which the free edges of said outer triangular partition parts project beyond the ends of said carton body walls to an erected position in which said free edges coincide with the end edges of said carton body walls and said partition wall parts extend at substantially right angles to said first and third carton body walls, said partition wall parts having aligned openings therein of a size to receive and position articles to be packed in said carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,337,091 Neski Apr. 13, 1920 1,737,950 Scotland Dec. 3, 192') 1,782,915 Weidner Nov. 25, 1930 1,981,731 Holy Nov. 20, i934 1,990,533 Eiseman Feb. 12, [935 2,060,513 Marx Nov. 10, 1936 2,129,198 Crouch Sept. 6, 1938 2,569,018 Priester Sept. 25, 1951 2,643,811 Bolding June 30, 1953 

